Kolkata, 01 September (H.S.) : West Bengal Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul on Tuesday said Sita Devi, also known as Rashida, who had earlier been reprimanded by her over using a stove to warm milk on a Park Street pavement, had refused several houses offered to her by the state government.

Paul said Devi had also vacated the latest accommodation allotted to her because its washroom was located on the ground floor. According to the minister, the government has now arranged another house for her in Topsia, in east Kolkata.

Speaking to The Statesman, Paul said Devi was initially shifted to a hotel following Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s direction. However, she was unwilling to stay at a shelter home and requested a house instead.

“We showed her several houses. She refused them. The one she accepted, she later left because the bathroom was on the ground floor,” Paul said.

The minister also said the government had taken steps to provide Devi with a means of livelihood. She would reportedly work as a cleaner at a hotel and receive a monthly salary of Rs 7,000.

The controversy began after a video showing Paul confronting Devi while she was warming milk on a stove on a Park Street pavement went viral. The incident drew criticism from Opposition parties and sections of the public, with questions being raised over the minister’s conduct.

Paul on Tuesday defended her intervention, saying her primary concern was fire safety and not targeting a pavement dweller.

“I do politics very emotionally. My concern was the fire risk,” Paul said.

She pointed out that several roadside stalls use plastic sheets and other combustible materials, while electrical transformers are located close to pavements at several places in the city. A spark, she warned, could quickly trigger a major fire.

Referring to a fire reported near Sealdah station a day earlier, Paul said the incident underlined the risks faced by densely populated urban areas.

“Fire is a very big risk for a city,” she said.

The minister said the authorities needed to strike a balance between rehabilitating pavement dwellers and ensuring that footpaths remain accessible to pedestrians.

She also urged civic authorities to ensure that adequate stretches of pavements remain clear for pedestrians as part of the city’s broader drive to reclaim footpaths for public use.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh